Motor traverse for lathes



Feb. 3, 1931. W. F. GROENE 1,791,270

MOTOR TRAVERSE FOR LATHES Filed L 28'. 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. WM fi TTORNEYS Feb.

w. F. GROENE MOTOR TRAVFIRSE FOR LATHES Filed Aug. 28, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

ATTORNEKS I 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. A

ATTORNEYS I ll lilliiullilPlI-Elll illvlfii 0N L A Feb. 23,1931. w. F. GROENE MOTOR TRAVERSE. r 012 LATHES Filed Aug. 28; 1928 Patented Feb. 3, 1931' UNITED, STATES PATENT ounce WILLIAM F. GROENE, CINCINNATI, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE B. K. LE IBLOND IA- CEIIIH'IE TOOL COMPANY, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO, A CORPORATION 01' DELAWARE INIIO'JIOB. TRAVERSE FOR LATHEB Application filed August 28, 1928. Seri'al No. 302,540.

Y My invention relates to the provision of a motor driven traversing device for the crossslide and slide or carrier of a lathe in which v the motor is carried'on the slide or the apron thereof.

- It has been the ractice in recent years to provide lathes Wli l. rapid drives as well as working speed drives, so as to permit the operator to bring his tools up to working posltion-without waste of time and retract them speedily after-the work is completed. The necessit of providing two radically different drives or lathe carriages and slides has led to considerable expense and undue complica- 1 tion of the feeding mechanisms and transmissions and their cooperating structures.

' It is my. object to mount an electric or other type-of motor 'on the lathe carriage,

and provide a transmission therefrom for gotraversing the carriage apron. It is a further ob'ect to combine with the motor switch a gears iftingmechanism for changing fromforward to reverse the power applied by the feed rod. Still another object is to avoid the use of transmission clutches and to apply the power of the motor to the slide and crossslide through a roll-over clutch through which the power from the feed rod is also supplied.-

Another object is to provide for a change .the work feedis in operation it will start to.

operate assoon as the motor slows down. I

am thus able to omit entirely the provision of high and low speed pulleys extra gearing, extra transmission ro s, sha s, controls and clutches, by employing a very minor addition to the gearing and shafting in the carriage apron. a

An illustrative embodiment of. my inven- 5 tion is shown in the accompanying drawings,

of said clutch.

ggar device whereby the motor traverse can applied to the main carriage feed or the and will be fully described, whereupon claims will be appended setting forth the novelty of the inventlon. 1

In the drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the carriage of a lathe. p

Figure 2 is a section on the general lines- 22 of Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 3 is a section on the lines 3-3 of F' res 1 and 2. f

. igure 4 is an end view at the motor end of the apron with the cover plate removed.

Figure 5 is a section on the lines 55 of Figures 1, 2, and 3.

Figure 6 is a longitudinal sectionaldetail of the roll-over clutch and concentric shaft arrangement whereby the motor drive is applied to the lathe, on a larger scale than the other views. I

As stated,'the basis of design whereby I apply the power from-a self contained motor to carriage and cross-slide gears, is the main tenance of normal design of as much sim plicity as possible except for the provision of a quill shaft or hollow shaft slip ed overthe feed rod, to which quill shaft e feed rod is con led in the friction position of a rollover c utch, and to which quill shaft the motor drive "is applied in the free rolling position 1 an I have thus indicated the usual lathe bed 1 .with its feed rack 2 on the underside thereof. The feed rod or splined shaft 3 J of usual lathe structure passes through the carriage 4 which is guided and held on the We of the bed. The dovetail guideways 5 on the carriage guide and retain the cross-slide (not shown) and have located in the s ace between them the feed screw 6, to w ich power is applied by the pinion 7 fast thereon. The carriage has the usual apron 8, which carries the transmission gearing and parts.-

The hand feed'of the carriage is supplied in the usual way by a hand wheel 9 located on a shaft9a which is journaled in the apron. The pinion 10 on the shaft 9a meshes with an intermediate gear 10a on a common shaft with the'pinion 10b that engages the rack 2 on the bed. I v

Power is applied to the cross-slide feed 100 screw pinion by a mechanism which can be shifted into and out of mesh therewith. To this end a shaft 11 is mounted in hearings in the apron so as to be slidable therein, and carries a gear 12 which, in the outer position of the shaft, meshes with the pinion 7. This shaft also carries agear 13 which, in the inner position of the shaft, meshes with the gear 10a of the main carriage feed.

Power is applied to the gear 12 in both of its positions by a Wide face pinion 15 on the stub shaft 14, which shaft also has a beveled gear 16 at its inner end.

Mounted over and revoluble with relation to the feed rod or feed shaft 3 is the hollow shaft or quill shaft 17 A key 170: on the exterior of the quill shaft engages in a'key way 18a of a gear sleeve 18 which is slidable but non-rotatable on the quill shaft. The gear sleeve has the bevel gear portions 19 and 20 integral therewith, and is moved to and fro by engagement of a shifter pin with its grooved collar 21.

To this end a shaft 22 is mounted in the apron and equipped with a depending arm 23, on the end of which arm is a stud 23a that engages the collar. The shaft 22 is rocked by a handle 24 external of the apron, and the handle has a notched sector 25 with teeth 26 which pass over a spring detent pin in the apron. This pin or plunger 27 engages in said teeth and serves to locate and hold the shifter handle in its several positions until dislodged by the force exerted by the.

operator.

The operator can, by shifting the handle lastly described, move either the gear 19 or the gear 20 into mesh with the gear 16, and

thus apply power in acontrolled direction to the gear 12. By shifting the gear 12 and its accompanying pinion he can thus apply power from the quill shaft either forward or reverse to the cross feed screw or the carriage feed pinion.

The quill shaft is alternatively driven by the following mechanism :At the far end of the carriage is located a roll-over clutch or roller ratchet gear having the internal element 28 which carries a key 29 engaging the splined shaft 3 at any position of the carriage relative to said shaft. The pockets 30 in the internal element 28 contain the balls or rollers 34. A ring gear 31 constituting the outer element of the roll-over clutch is held fast to the quill shaft by means .of being bolted to a flanged collar 32. thereon. An annular plate 33 on the other face of the gear holds the rollers in their pockets, and the internal element is held against endwise movement in the carriage by means of the outer element of the clutch. J

The electric motor 35 mounted on the lower portion of the apron has a gear 36 on its rotor shaft which engages with the gear 31, formopen and menavo drive the external element by causing the rollers of the clutch to move to clamping position. The splined shaft will normally be driven at the desired working speed continuously during the operation of the machine.

The effect of starting up the motor will be to rotate the ring gear or external element of the clutch rapidly, which will result in the rollers in the clutch rolling away from the narrow end of their pockets, so as to permit a the quill shaft to be driven rapidly irres ective of the movement of the splined sha During the-period when the motor switch is open and the splined shaft is furnishing the power, the rotor of the motor will'be revolved, but in the absence of currents of electricity, will apply little, if any, load to the-operation of the feed.

I have not shown the motor switch except to indicate its position at 37 having a push button 37a. The switch will be of any standard construction in which the depression of the button will alternately open and close the switch, and in which the button is pushed outwardly at all times by a spring. In such switches the push button is equipped with a pawl which operates on a ratchet, said ratchet servin to rotate a snap switch to alternate closed positions, although any analogous construction may be used.

A rock shaft 38 mounted in the apron is equipped at its upper end with a pair of crank fingers 39 serving as operating members, and is provided with a crank finger 40 at its lower end to engage the switch button.

The sliding pins 41 in the apron engage the pair of crank fingers 39, so that depression of either pin will result in moving the switch button, the spring on the switch button serving to keep the parts just described in a normal off position. A plunger 42 is secured to a rocking finger 42a held on the handle 24: of the shifter mechanism in such a position that it is in position of engagement with one of the two pins 41 at the extremes of the shifter handle movement, and at the neutral position of the handle does not engage either pin. Thus the motor switch cannot be operated unless the gearing for forward or reverse feed is in mesh.

The operation of the parts of the mechanism have been described, and a description in detail of the operation of the entire device will not be necessary. The operator will, at the outset of his operations, set the usual feed devices in motion. If .the carriage is to be movedhe may shift the shaft 11 by grasping its projecting end and pushing it inwardly. He will then set the shifter handie to select the desired direction and depress the lever 420: with his finger, whereupon the motor will rapidly traverse the carriage to the desired point. He will then depress the lever again which will stop the motor and the carriage will-feed slowly until the shaft 11 is pulled outwardly, or the operator moves the shifter handle to neutral position,

Pulling the shaft 11 outwardly will couple the cross-slide feed screw to the drive, whereupon the operator may again select his direction and depress the switch operating lever so as to traverse the cross-slide rapidly, thus bringing the tools up to the work.

When the tool or tools have been brought to working position the operator depresses the lever 42a again, which results in the motor stopping and the regular splined shaft picking up the feeding operation of the cross-slide at whatever working speed has been selected.

It will be evident that the particular gear clutch and provision of means for coupling.

the cross feed to the carriage feed for at: taining a rapid traverse of the earriage'while the cross-slide is uncoupled.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is v 1. In a lathe the combination with a care riage movable thereon and a cross-slide movable'on the carriage, of a work feed shaft, a 'motor located on the carriage, and means for selectively transmitting motion from the shaft and the motor to the cross-slide, said means including a direction changer, a switch I for the motor, and means for operating the switch at selected positions only of the direction changer.

2. In a lathe the combination with a bed, a carriage movable thereon, and a cross-slide movable on the carriage, carriage feeding and cross-slide feeding elements mounted on the carriage, a transmission mechanism selectively applicable to said elements, a feed shaft, and a motor for rapid traverse, and means for selectively applying the shaft and the motor to said transmission mechanism,

said transmission mechanism including a direction changer, aswitch for the motor, and means for operating the switch at selected positions only of the direction changer.

3. In a lathe the combination with a carriage movable thereon and a cross-slide movable on the carriage, of a work feed shaft, a motor located on the carriage, and means for selectively transmitting motion from the shaft and the motor to the cross-slide, said motor located on the carriage, and means for' selectively transmitting motion from the shaft and the motor to the cross-slide, said means comprising a roll-over clutch, to one element of which power from the shaft is applied, and to the other element of which power from the motor is applied, and said transmission means also including an element having a neutral position to break the transmission, a switch for the motor, and means for operating said switch at other than neutral position of said element.

5. Ina lathe, a bed and carriage, cross-slide feeding means on the carriage, an internal and external shaft, the latter driving the said feeding means, the internal shaft carried on the bed and the external shaft slidable on the internal shaft with the carriage, a motor on the carriage, and means for operatively connecting the motor to the external shaft and the internal shaft to the external shaft.

6. In a lathe, a bed and carriage, crossslide feeding means on the carriage, an internal and external shaft, the latter driving the said feeding means, the internal shaft carried on the bed and the external shaft slidable on the internal shaft with the carriage, a motor on the carriage, and means for operatively connecting the motor to the external shaft and theinternal shaft to the external shaft, said means formed as a rollover clutch.

7. In a lathe, a bed and carriage, cross- .slide feeding means on the carriage, an internal and external shaft, the latter driving the said feeding means, the internal shaft carried on the bed and the external shaft slidable on the internal shaft with the carriage, a motor on the carriage, and means for operatively connecting the motor to the external shaft and the internal shaft to the external shaft, said means formed as a roll-over clutch,

'means for selectively applying the external shaft to the cross-slide feeding means in forward or reverse, and a switch for the motor controlled by the last named means.

' WILLIAM F. GROENE. 

